The diminutive former infielder pulled his bedraggled form onto the barstool. The bartender sidled over. "The usual, MVP?"Dustin Pedroia winced, as the inquiry brought unwanted memories to the forefront of his thoughts. "I told you never to call me that", Pedroia snapped, sending the barkeep scampering for cover.
On December 3, 2008, Pedroia had signed a six-year contract extension worth $40.5 million. The move was lauded as a win for both sides. The Sox had locked up the second best 2B in baseball for half the salary of the best at the position, Philadelphia's Chase Utley. Pedroia had parlayed two decades of hard work, and two sensational seasons, into long-term security with the MLB club for whom he hoped to play his entire career.
Pedroia was worth every penny in 2009. He collected a second Gold Glove, and a second Silver Slugger award. He would have repeated as AL MVP, had Dallas sportswriter Evan Grant included Pedroia somewhere on his MVP ballot.
The following offseason did not go as well. Pedroia had invested heavily in a Ballroom Dancing Academy in Needham, MA, but took a sizeable loss when it was forced to close its' doors. The recession had forced the majority of his students to choose rent over tuition. Pedroia was also involved in an altercation at a Popeye's Chicken in Austin, Texas. While he gained additional "street cred" as a result of the brawl, he lost a lucrative endorsement deal with Versace as a result. These distractions also adversely affected his preparations for the 2010 season.
Pedroia struggled from the start in 2010. In June, amid rumors the would soon start to lose ABs to rookie Ryan Khoury, Pedroia started to turn things around. But a collision at second base, while turning a double play, resulted in a season-ending injury to the distal biceps in his right elbow. There was speculation that he would have returned sooner, if he had worked harder in the preceding offseason. Considering that a similar injury had ended the career of hockey goaltender Martin Brodeur, this speculation seemed a bit harsh.
Pedroia seemed on track to return for 2011, until a terrifying Spring Training incident against the Tampa Rays. In retaliation for comments made by Pedroia during the 2010 season, Rays reliever Pedro Martinez beaned the second-sacker. Martinez was suspended for life, and lost his chance at Cooperstown. Pedroia suffered a serious concussion, and though he returned in 2012, he was never the same player. He was exiled to the AL wasteland of Detroit, in a salary dump in 2014, and retired at the end of the season. Injuries had turned Pedroia from an MVP, into a replacement-level utility player.
Dustin Pedroia nursed his drink, as he watched Scott Kazmir face the Sox on NESN. Pedroia regretted the fact that he wasn't still in a Sox uniform. "I OWNED that guy!", Pedroia announced to the room. Pedroia had other regrets- accepting investment advice from Papelbon, quitting his Sullivan Tire gig, losing a big chunk of his earnings to Francona in cribbage. But he didn't regret his career. Just the fact that, with a little luck, he could have still been a Red Sox.
